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Enhancing Zeolite Performance by Catalyst Shaping in a Mesoscale Continuous‐Flow Diels–Alder Process
Author(s) -
Seghers Sofie,
Lefevere Jasper,
Mullens Steven,
De Vylder Anton,
Thybaut Joris W.,
Stevens Christian V.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
chemsuschem
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.412
H-Index - 157
eISSN - 1864-564X
pISSN - 1864-5631
DOI - 10.1002/cssc.201800362
Subject(s) - zeolite , catalysis , materials science , continuous flow , flow chemistry , pellets , chemical engineering , porosity , chemistry , organic chemistry , composite material , engineering , physics , mechanics
Abstract In contrast to most lab‐scale batch procedures, a continuous‐flow implementation requires a thorough consideration of the solid catalyst design. In a previous study, irregular zeolite pellets were applied in a miniaturized continuous‐flow reactor for the Diels–Alder reaction in the construction of norbornene scaffolds. After having faced the challenges of continuous operation, the aim of this study is to exploit catalyst structuring. To this end, microspheres with high uniformity and various sphere diameters were synthesized according to the vibrational droplet coagulation method. The influence of the use of these novel zeolite shapes in a mesoscale continuous‐flow Diels–Alder process of cyclopentadiene and methyl acrylate is discussed. An impressive enhancement of catalyst lifetime is demonstrated, as even after a doubled process time of 14 h, the microspheres still exceeded the conversion after 7 h when using zeolite pellets by 30 %. A dual reason is found for this beneficial impact of catalyst shaping. The significant improvement in catalyst longevity can be attributed to the interplay of the chemical composition and the porosity structure of the microspheres.